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March 10, 1964 M. c. PEROLINI HIGH VQLTAGE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT-BREAKERSFiled Sept. 14, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS March 10, 1964 M. c.PEROLINI HIGH voumca ELECTRICALCIRCUIT-BREAKERS Filed Sept. 14, 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNE YS United States Patent 3,124,669 HIGH VOLTAGEELECTRICAL CIRCUIT-BREAKERS Marcel Charles Perolini, Neuilly-sur-Seine,France,

assiguor to Societe Generale de Constructions Electriqnes et Mecaniques(Alsthom), Paris, France, a French body corporate Filed Sept. 14, 1960,Ser. No. 55,984 Claims priority, application France Sept. 23, 1959 3Claims. (Cl. 200-48) The present invention relates to high voltageelectrical circuit-breakers which, to effect standardisation and forother technical reasons, comprise a plurality of seriesconnected units.

It is an object of the invention to enable circuit-breakers of differentvoltages to be made up from basic units each constructed for a givennominal voltage.

It is another object of the invention to enable very high voltagebreakers, which cannot be used due to changes in conditions ofutilisation of the electric supply mains, to be transformed intoapparatus operable at lower voltages.

It is a further object of the invention to reduce the height ofcircuit-breaker installations and to simplify their construction andincrease their operational safety.

These and other objects will become clear from a consideration of thespecific description which is to follow.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, referencewill now be made to the accompanying drawings which show certainembodiments thereof by way of example, compared with prior arrangements,and in which:

FIGURES 1 and 2 show schematic examples of basic pole units forcircuit-breakers of known kind,

FIGURE 3 shows a known arrangement of side-by-side assembly of threeunits,

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 show assemblies of three units, according to theinvention, and

FIGURES 7 and 8 show further kinds of units which may be used inassemblies according to the invention.

All the units and members shown in the drawings are schematicallyillustrated and do not represent actual practical examples. In thedrawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURES 1 and 2 show examples of stacks ofelementary basic circuit-breakers constituted according to knownarrangements and comprising: an insulator 1 having a circuit-breakingdevice enclosed therewithin, release chamber 2, a supporting insulator 3in which the control insulating tube 4 is mounted a casing 5 containingcontrol mechanism for moving the movable contacts of the circuit-breakeror a casing 6 in which is located a hydraulic or pneumatic jack which isdirectly coupled to the said movable contacts. In all thesemodifications which are given by way of non-limiting examples, theapparatus may be either placed on a frame or suspended from a framework(not shown in FIGURES 1 and 2).

In order to make circuit-breakers operable at higher voitages, forexample three times or nearly three times the elementary voltage, it isalready known to assemble side-by-side, three basic units according tothe arrangement shown in FIGURE 3. These units are situated in the samevertical plane or at the apices of a triangle. The circuit-breakingdevice 1 with the release chamber 2, of each unit are placed in seriesby means of the connections 7, the external electrical connections beingeffected at 8.

The total height of the apparatus is substantially equal to three timesthe height of a circuit-breaking device 1 plus three times the height ofa casing 6. This arrangement is therefore very high and generallyrequires that 3,124,669 Patented Mar. 10, 1364 the elements of thecircuit-breaker be reinforced in order to support the flexing effortsdue to the connections and to the wind. They mostly involve the use ofthree supplementary cross pieces 9 having the same height as the casings6.

FIGURE 4 shows an example of assembly according to the invention ofthree basic units. The three circuit-breaking devices 1 are directlyplaced one behind the other, the jacks in casings 6 being all placed atthe same level. The number of elements making up the construction is thesame as that of the basic known apparatus e.g. as shown in FIGURE 3, butthe total height of the apparatus is considerably reduced, the latterbeing only substantially three times the height of a contact-breakingdevice 1 plus the height of one casing 6. No supplementary crosspieces 9are necessary.

In FIGURE 4 the three columns constituting a stack are shown in the samevertical plane. But they need not be in the same plane and in the caseof three columns for example they may be disposed at the apices of atriangle.

The three casings 6 are shown fixed to a frame 10 which serves forlocation of the stack assembly on insulating supports 11.

The connection by means of the frame 10 is shown by Way of example butthe columns could be secured together in any other manner, for examplelaterally by the casings 6 or by the collars of the supporting insulator3. Similarly it is possible, in the case of suspended apparatus, toavoid all rigid connection between the three columns, it being possibleto suspend each of them separately.

FIGURE 5 shows an example of circuit-breaker also with three columns,constituted according to the invention and by means of basic apparatusof the type shown in FIGURE 2. In this case the three casings 5containing the actuating mechanisms may be aligned and assembled bylateral lugs or feet 12 and thus constitute a rigid frame enabling theapparatus to be placed on insulating supports 11. This arrangementmoreover enables the three mechanisms to have their controlling membersmechanically connected together, for example by connecting rods 13,which ensures that the three elements function simul taneously.

FIGURE 6 shows an arrangement which is similar to that of FIGURE 5, butin which the highest column is placed at the centre which enables thecentre of gravity to be brought near to the axis of the wholecircuit-breaker. This arrangement, which is also usable when jacks areutilised instead of the control mechanisms schematically illustrated, isparticularly advantageous for circuit-breakers of the suspended type, itbeing then possible to effect the fastening by means of the centrecolumn, approxi- Y mately on the axis of the latter.

The embodiments shown by FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 relate to circuit-breakershaving three columns; similar arrangements could of course be used inthe case of circuitbreakers having two columns or having more than threecolumns.

The arrangements described above may be made also from basic apparatussuch as those shown in FIGURES 7 and 8. In fact the elementsconstituting these apparatus are to be found in the arrangements shownin FIGURES 4, 5 and 6.

I claim:

1. A high-voltage circuit-breaker assembly comprising a plurality ofcolumns each of which columns contains a circuit-breaking device mountedabove a control means therefor, and wherein at least one of said columnsalso includes at least one supporting insulator, the several saidcontrol means all being located at the same height, and said at leastone supporting insulator being located between the control means and thecircuit-breaking device of at least one of said columns, for positioningthe said several circuit-breaking devices all at different heights,

and means for connecting all said circuit-breaking devices electricallyin series.

2. A high-voltage circuit-breaker assembly, comprising a plurality ofcolumns each of which columns contains a circuit-breaking device mountedabove a control means therefor, means interconnecting the several saidcontrol means at the same height into a rigid assembly, and wherein atleast one of said columns also includes at least'one supportinginsulator, said at least one supporting insulator being located betweenthe control means and the circuitbreaking device of at least one'ofsaidco'l-umns, for positioning the said several circuit-breaking devicesall at dilferent heights, and means for connecting all saidcircuitbreaking devices electrically. in series.

3. A high-voltage circuit-breaker assembly comprising three columns, afirst one of said columns comprising a first circuit-breaking devicemounted above a control means therefor, a second one of said columnscomprising a second circuit-breaking device mounted above a suplportinginsulator and said supporting insulator being mounted above a controlmeans for said second circuitbreaking device, and a third one of saidcolumns comprising a third circuit-breaking device mounted above twosupporting insulators in vertical alignment, with said two supportinginsulators mounted above a control means for said third circuit-breakingdevice, said three control means being mounted on a common rigid framewhereby all said control means are all located at the same height, and

each of said supporting insulators being of the same height whereby saidthree circuit-breaking devices are all located at different heights,said third column thus being taller than said first and second columnsand being mounted between them, and means for connecting all saidcircuit- 5 breaking devices electrically in series.

References Cited. in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A HIGH-VOLTAGE CIRCUIT-BREAKER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OFCOLUMNS EACH OF WHICH COLUMNS CONTAINS A CIRCUIT-BREAKING DEVICE MOUNTEDABOVE A CONTROL MEANS THEREFOR, AND WHEREIN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID COLUMNSALSO INCLUDES AT LEAST ONE SUPPORTING INSULATOR, THE SEVERAL SAIDCONTROL MEANS ALL BEING LOCATED AT THE SAME HEIGHT, AND SAID AT LEASTONE SUPPORTING INSULATOR BEING LOCATED BETWEEN THE CONTROL MEANS AND THECIRCUIT-BREAKING DEVICE OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID COLUMNS, FOR POSITIONINGTHE SAID SEVERAL CIRCUIT-BREAKING DEVICES ALL AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS, ANDMEANS FOR CONNECTING ALL SAID CIRCUIT-BREAKING DEVICES ELECTRICALLY INSERIES.